Addis Ababa: A panel on the role of civil society organizations (CSOs) for integrated Abay River basin development has stressed the critical role of the organizations for integrated upstream watershed development in order to protect the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam from siltation. Opening the panel today, Aregawi Berhe, Director-General of the Office of the National Council for the Coordination of Public Participation to the Construction of GERD, emphasized the importance of strengthening integrated basin development activities to ensure the continuity of the dam.
According to Ethiopian News Agency, Aregawi Berhe underscored the responsibility of all to prevent GERD from siltation, highlighting that an integrated approach would play a crucial role in upstream areas of watershed management and development. The director-general further pointed out that integrated watershed development and management on upstream areas of GERD would elongate the lifespan of the dam, reduce land degradation, and enhance water conservation.
Aregawi also noted that civil society organizations have immense potential for achieving this initiative if they properly integrate their efforts in a coordinated manner and work in collaboration with the government. On his part, Addis Ababa University Water and Land Resource Center Director-General Gete Zeleke warned that huge sediment will go down the stream and affect the sustainable power generation of the dam if upstream catchment areas of the GERD are not properly managed.
The integrated upstream watershed management and development, Gete added, would enable more and clean water in the dam, thereby reducing land degradation and enhancing environmental conservation and productivity. He further emphasized the critical role of civil society organizations in fostering integrated watershed development in Abay river basins of the upstream areas of the GERD.
Gete elaborated that if CSOs are involved in a Green Legacy Initiative, they need to ensure that their selected watershed is part of the integrated watershed management plan, their plantations are linked to community and ecosystem needs, and protection of remnant natural forests and trees are part of their green legacy initiative.